The Seer's Touch
by m7m
Summary: AU - A seer gives Kakashi the chance to see a different end to his story KakashixOC
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! Thanks for dropping by, this is a Naruto story I've been thinking about for a while and finally got the courage to post to the site. I have no idea how long it's going to be and I have no idea how long it'll take because I'm writing another long story (I post that on a different account), but I hope you will all enjoy this :) Happy reading!

The Seer's Touch – Chapter 1

"Kaka-sensei! This mission is stupid! Sakura-chan and I are way better than a C-rank mission."

"Hey dic-"

"SAI! Don't even think about it" ground out Sakura, interrupting her pale teammate before he could finish his insult, "and you Naruto, stop complaining."

"But Sakura-chaaan!" whined Naruto, "We keep getting stuck with all these lame missions lately! We should be doing B-rank or even A- rank missions! Come on Kaka-sensei, can't you do something for us?"

"Naruto, all missions are important, plus we're getting paid really well for this, now shut it!" said Sakura beside him who now looked to be suffering from a headache. She answered in place of their team leader, who probably wouldn't have bothered to reply even if Sakura hadn't shut Naruto up for him. The copy-nin had had his head buried in his Icha Icha Paradise and appeared to be paying no heed to Naruto's complaints.

Their C-rank mission currently involved escorting a wealthy merchant safely to his destination and the fact that their charge was unpleasant company made Naruto think he would have preferred the challenge (or lack of) of a D-rank mission. Honestly, he knew the money was good and their mission would be over soon, but for some reason he'd been feeling more and more restless over the passing few days. So, even though he'd gotten out of the habit since his training with Ero-sennin, he resorted to whining to help release the pent up energy.

Kakashi's approach on the other hand involved his fine-tuned and delicate art of ignoring, but being completely aware of his surroundings; Naruto's complaining, and almost everything else for that matter, could have been nothing but the gentle breeze passing by. These missions were often so quiet that he could have his head in his book without having to look up from it once. So far, they had been travelling like this for two days and the final day was likely to follow in the same strain. At any rate, they didn't have too far to and they had all resigned themselves to the dreary mission with Naruto's complaining interspersed to occasionally break the monotony.

* * *

"Breathe, Ananya…let your mind go blank…and let the images come to you…" A woman stood waist deep, beneath a cascading waterfall; the pool was crystal clear with a smooth rocky bed; lush bushes and reeds at the edges. She was of medium height, shapely build, had thick dark wavy locks that extended the length of her back and a golden brown complexion. She wore only a rich emerald green crystal at the column of her throat and a sheer cream kimono with delicate red embroidery. Suddenly she sat back onto the smooth rock behind her and sighed as her face fell into her trembling hands, her agitation evident.

"How…how can this be? Oh god, what will they do when they find out?" Ananya spoke quietly to herself, hoping the answer would come to her. Over the past 24 hours her abilities had been waning, the images appearing fewer and darker. She didn't know what the consequences would be, but she thought revisiting the sacred pool she favoured would help stop what was happening. The images had ceased coming to her completely now and she couldn't ignore it or try to fix it by herself any longer. As much as she dreaded telling them about what was happening, it was her only option and she decided to return to her village. She stood up and started wading towards the edge of the pool when she heard scuffling and grunting from behind the rocks at the top of the waterfall.

A body was pushed over and made a dull thump as it hit the earth and she registered blood…pooling from Shiro's lifeless body. In her head she thought she should run to him to tend to his wounds, but her body was paralysed by shock. That was until she heard a sickening cackling that sounded to her right. She spun around in the water to see a man standing close to the water's edge staring at her. "Shin! Run!" she yelled out, but it only seemed to amuse the man even more as a wide grin spread on his scarred face.

"Well, well, Takeshi. Isn't this a good spot to….enjoy nature's bounty?" said another voice lecherously.

Her head turned to follow it and she saw a large bulky man standing on the opposite side with Shin at his feet. She didn't know if he was dead or alive, but she couldn't see any blood.

"Of course, Ryouta. In fact, it would be a crime not to have a taste of what nature as to offer us."

They hadn't moved since they had spoken, but the sinister intent rolling off the both of them was sufficiently intimidating in place of any further movement from them. Her heart raced as the adrenaline pumped through her – she hadn't seen this coming and because she had been too afraid of what her village would do, her choice to visit this spring had resulted in what had happened to two of the only few friends she had. They started walking towards her slowly, playing with her, stalking their 'prey'. They knew she was powerless and they were intoxicated by her fear.

"St-stay away!" She stuttered holding the flimsy material of her swimming robes to her body. Their smile only widened and flight finally made her act - she didn't have the skills to fight. She yelled for help hoping the other village ninjas would hear and ran. Glancing back she saw that they weren't chasing after her yet and she didn't want to think about what they might have planned for her.

"Looks like things just got more fun Ryouta."

"Hm. Let's not drag it out too long. I don't actually enjoy wasting my time like this as much as you do Takeshi."

Soon, all she could hear was her thudding heart as she ran back towards her village, she didn't feel the pain of twigs or stones piercing her feet in her desperate attempt to escape.

* * *

_A/N: Ananya means unique and I thought it would fit the story :) Thanks for reading _


	2. Chapter 2

I can has reviewz?

The Seer's Touch – Chapter 2

"Help! Please, help!" A pleading scream reached all the ninjas' ears and even Kakashi finally looked up from his book in the direction that it came from. The mission had been incredibly quiet and he supposed it could have been a ploy to ambush the merchant they were escorting, though he hadn't sensed any other ninjas in the area yet.

"Kakashi-sensei! She sounds desperate, you guys go on; I'll check it out!" Naruto finally felt a sense of relief, like this was what had been making him restless and anxious - he couldn't leave the distressed woman alone, so before anyone could say anything to stop him he had run off towards the voice.

Kakashi sighed to himself. Naruto was still irresponsible and reckless despite being stronger and more mature than his younger genin-self, but he would never grudge him his desire to protect and save. It didn't take long for him to sense two shinobi in the forest and he guessed that the woman was probably being attacked by them. If it had been an abduction attempt, they wouldn't have revealed themselves prematurely. "Sorry Sakura-chan, can you and Sai look after Atsushi-san while I go get Naruto-kun?" and with an eye crinkle and wave of his hand he was off. Normally he wouldn't have been so apologetic, but he felt bad about leaving poor Sakura with Atsushi as the merchant had been particularly abusive towards them. At least he didn't have to worry about Sai and Sakura doing anything to him…actually maybe he should have rethought his decision to leave Sakura behind…

* * *

She had started screaming once she had realised that they were herding her away from her village. Did the men know about them? The village's perimeter guards should have stopped them by now, why hadn't they intervened as yet? Unless the same fate had befallen them too…her thoughts were interrupted though when she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head and her vision blurred before everything faded to black.

The men pursuing Ananya had sensed Naruto approaching quickly and had realised they couldn't delay much longer. Catching up to her, they knocked her out as Naruto and Kakashi arrived to see them holding the limp form of a woman in their grasp. Not knowing who their opponents were, they were dismissive and brash. "Looks like two interfering pests have found us. Listen! This belongs to us, so go along your business and we'll let the fact that you're disturbing us slide."

"You bastards! She's not your belonging, let her go!" Naruto yelled at them.

Kakashi's anger at seeing two ninja abusing their power was just as strong, but less noticeable. While his eye had narrowed at the other two ninja's comments, his mask hid the way his jaw clenched. She was in a delicate situation. No matter how strong Naruto and he were, they could kill her in a second and they might not be able to intervene in time – he was fast, but he couldn't guarantee that he could save her in time in this sort of situation. Either way his brain was already going through hundreds of ways to retrieve her safely…before figuring that the No. 1 unpredictable ninja would force him to throw them all out the window.

Naruto's burst of outrage had amused both of the woman's abductors. "You're the ones interrupting us. You've got no business here when we're dealing with our property…" but the man holding Ananya didn't stop there, intent on goading Kakashi and Naruto he ran his hand up her side to further demonstrate his meaning. Reaching her neck he grabbed her chin and yanked her face to the side so he could run his tongue across her cheek. She had started regaining consciousness as he molested her and she jerked her head free from his grasp. She bit his finger and clenched her jaw hard, determined to show him she wouldn't be compliant. Surprise and pain coloured the man's face as her teeth punctured his flesh. Forgetting the situation he let go of her and hit her as his face contorted in anger. She was sent sprawling across the ground with the force of his strike and the distraction gave Kakashi a chance to take him out as Naruto defeated the other one. They had been less skilled than their confidence warranted and they were subdued in moments.

Ananya hadn't been knocked out despite how hard she had been hit, but she had been dazed. She struggled to sit upright but became light-headed when she tried. That didn't stop her from trying to get away from the ninjas, however, as she crawled away as inconspicuously as she could. It was probably futile, but it was better than not trying as she hid behind a tree and used it to support herself as she stood up and staggered away again. She continued to tremble as her legs threatened to give way. She didn't know why she felt so weak, but she recognised it probably was related to the feeling of dread that had been building up within her all day and which had finally reached fever pitch. It stole her of breath and added to the painful pressure in her head.

* * *

Kakashi and Naruto had quickly secured the two men when Naruto looked around him quizzically. "Eh? Where'd she run off to?"

Just as he was about to chase her down Kakashi obstructed him. "Naruto. She's frightened and chasing her down isn't going to be helpful. You can go get Sakura to help heal her and I'll find her. You…might be a bit overwhelming for her at this point."

"I'm not overwhelming! I'm friendly!"

Kakashi responded by massaging his ear gently, implying that the volume of his voice had been painful. "A quiet gentle approach would be best Naruto. We're wasting time arguing about this."

He gave in realising that Kakashi probably was the less frightening of the two of them. After all, he did fit his namesake of scarecrow with his lazy, relaxed appearance. "Yeah, I suppose she'd find an old man less frightening than an energetic young ninja," Naruto quipped back quickly as he stuck his tongue out at him. He particularly enjoyed the defeated glum expression on Kakashi's face at being called old before speeding off to retrieve Sakura.

It had taken them five minutes to get here, so it would be ten before they'd be back. Hopefully, she would accept his help and be calm until Sakura could get here. She was obviously afraid of something, whether it was them or something else, to have run off when she had probably already realised that they would be difficult to escape. He found her scent immediately; the faint smell of perfumed oils, which mingled with, but didn't overpower, her own. He found he quite liked it before shaking the thought away and moved to catch up to her. It didn't require much effort or time and when he saw her stumbling forward and holding her head, he realised she was in some pain. He also realised that her kimono was…very sheer and he doubled back to pick up the coat that the other ninja had been wearing… which had originally obscured his view of her. He overtook her and settled himself down at the base of a tree with his book waiting for her to stumble upon him. She did shortly, but she didn't appear to notice him. Her face was veiled by her hair and he decided to call out to her to alert her to his presence. "Yo!"

Obviously his greeting didn't have the desired effect because she spun away from him quickly to run, lost her balance and tripped over a root and fell. He sighed to himself realising that that hadn't gone to plan. As he approached her slowly he couldn't help but appreciate the curve of her waist and hip, but once again shook the thought from his head. He was finding the woman in front of him very attractive, to the point of distraction and it was a bit disturbing to him. "I'm just walking towards you now. My team and I only want to help you. My name's Kakashi," he said as he slowly bent down towards her. "Will you tell me your name please?" he asked her as he draped the cloak gently over her shoulders. He could see her trembling and he was worried that she'd been injured quite badly as he hadn't seen her face to assess the damage. "Are you okay?" She still hadn't said a word, but she shifted her weight to her side. He saw her face for the first time as she turned and angled herself to face him. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but the sum of all that his senses experienced of her was more captivating than the most exquisite of women. Her scent mingled with the earthiness around them; he could feel the warmth emanating from her body, comforting and inviting; her lips were curved, full, pink and bloodied from the strike she'd been dealt; her skin was a warm tone tinged with a pink flush as she looked at him; and her eyes accentuated with kohl, large and intense, glistened from her pain, but highlighted the unusual circular silver markings in her dark eyes. He could practically taste her in his mouth, sweet, like fresh spring water when his mouth was parched and dry like a desert. Right now, he felt like a very thirsty man…but he was glad, or at least he thought he was, that he wasn't the only one drinking in the other's features. He saw her eyes scan his face thoroughly, taking in the shape of his face, the one exposed coal-coloured eye and the mop of messy silver locks and wondered what she was thinking.

She spoke after she realised that she had been staring for a few moments and shook herself from it. "I don't think that it is the attack which has left me in this state, Kakashi-san. There is something…dangerous and terrible nearby. Its proximity to me hurts me physically. Its anger…is red and overwhelming and I feel it burning and paralysing me." She looked at him earnestly and despite her trembling, her voice was smooth albeit a bit weak.

Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if what she felt was the nine-tails chakra within Naruto. It seemed like a bit of a leap to assume that's what it was just because she felt an angry and powerful presence, but it wasn't impossible. "Can you describe it in more detail…-"

"Ananya. My name is Ananya. I feel it…bubbling beneath the surface of my consciousness…and its roar is deafening in my ears. Just before, there was darkness and that frightened me because I'm not used to that…but I would happily drown in those shadows if I could escape the pain and fear it inflicts on me now."

She squeezed her eyes shut in pain as her body tensed and her breathing quickened. Her pain was evident as sweat glistened on her brow. He could sense Naruto nearing…and her pain appeared to intensify the closer he was to reaching them. As Naruto appeared before them with Sakura Ananya turned onto her front, pushed her hot forehead against the smooth blades of grass and clawed at the ground. "Naruto, return to the road."

"What for? Sai is bringing Atsushi-san"

"I think she can sense you Naruto…and I think it's harming her."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he, uncharacteristically, understood what Kakashi was referring to immediately. His face was grim, but he didn't say a word as he fled the scene quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

Meh probably a bit corny and a bit OTT, but it's either take this or wait another two months for me to rewrite...yeaah...nah

The Seer's Touch – Chapter 3

"Sakura. Is there anything you can do for her?"

"I'll have to see what a chakra scan reveals. How long did it take for her to reach this stage Kakashi-sensei?"

"Her condition 10 minutes ago was poor, but not this bad. It seemed to start with a strong headache and it's developed into this."

"That's quite quick," Sakura commented grimly as she approached Ananya. "This might feel a bit strange at first, but please trust me when I say it won't harm you." She received what could have been interpreted as a nod from the writhing woman and put her hands across the plane of her back. No sooner than the faint green glow of her medical chakra could be seen around her hands, Sakura ripped them away from her like she'd been burned. Her eyes were wide with surprise and she took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Sakura! Are you okay?"

"Yes. I was just startled. Her condition is…I've never seen anything like it before… She doesn't have a chakra system exactly and it's not chakra flowing through her body. It's some sort of energy that flows through her central nervous system and from what I felt seemed to react with her on a cellular level. The core of this energy system seems to be her frontal lobe and where the problem seems to be. When I touched her with my chakra it pushed back, probably involuntarily. But it felt chaotic…out of control and unstable."

"You got all that from touching her for a second?" Kakashi was astonished, impressed and proud of Sakura. He had been a terrible teacher to her, but that hadn't stopped her from becoming a truly amazing and capable kunoichi.

"There was an exchange of information when my chakra collided with her energy. It wasn't long, but we both know how much information chakra can contain. In that sense her system and ours are similar in that it obviously carries a lot of information from a short exchange. Though I'm not familiar with her system, my experience tells me her body is going through some sort of stress reaction, but I don't know what caused it. I wouldn't think that being attacked would cause such a severe reaction, this feels like when the body is being attacked by a virus and it's released anti-bodies…except it can't find what it needs to be attacking…or…"

"Sakura, but is there anything you can do for her now? The information is important, but her condition seems to be getting worse."

"I'm going to need to take a few moments Kakashi. It's something new and I don't want to make it worse. Not only that, but I don't think I can touch her again without the same thing happening again. Until I can, I won't be able to help her. Her…life source …is unique and it's attacking mine because it doesn't recognise it. The energy feels like it is electricity, dancing…I think…that could work! Kakashi-sensei…you need to shock her!"

Kakashi looked at Sakura like she was mad, "Is it the only way? You realise you're the medic-nin, not me. If you tell me to shock her and I kill her…I trust you with my life Sakura, but I don't know if I believe in your choice to place someone else's medical care in my hands."

Sakura knew that he did trust her with his life, but it still pleased her to hear the infamously private and emotionally reserved copy-nin say it. It was odd to hear him doubt his own abilities…though she shouldn't be surprised. Ninjas were finely honed killers. For those who weren't medic-nin, being entrusted to do more than basic medical care could be an unusual and daunting experience, even for someone like Kakashi…or maybe especially more so for him. Kakashi always seemed to believe he was cursed to have the people he cared for die around him and be unable to stop it. She realised it would be difficult for him, but she needed his lightning release. "Kakashi-sensei. Her life-force feels electrical and might be on par with your lightning based chakra. You're the only one in the team that can help her."

Kakashi was still uncertain, but he hesitated for only a moment "…how am I supposed to do this?"

Sakura nodded. "You're going to have to feel for her energy signature. It's fluctuating around a particular frequency. Your lightning release involves increasing the frequency of your chakra to generate lightning, so align the frequency of your chakra to hers and release a pulse of electricity into her body. That should reset her system and stop what's happening to her…and just a warning, you're going to get shocked by her own defences."

Kakashi nodded and took up a position her over her. He was the legendary copy-nin, he's copied a thousand techniques and yet what he was about to do made him anxious. Part of it was what Sakura was leaving unsaid, if he didn't use the right frequency…then…he could kill her. But the unfamiliarity with her condition and her own body was something that they didn't have time to take into account. Placing his hands on her he immediately felt a surge of electricity attacking him; it invaded his own system and even when he pulled away he still felt it linger in his body. It felt intrusive to feel it entering his body that way, but the energy itself felt invigorating, tingly, and warm. Having a lightening-based nature obviously meant that it didn't affect him the same way it had Sakura and he moved forward to try again, prepared and knowing what it would feel like when it happened again. This time, their bodies seemed to find an equilibrium as their electrical energy interacted and mingled. Kakashi was surprised that something like that would happen but didn't hesitate to release a pulse of electricity into her body when he realised what was occurring.

Her body spasmed before falling limply the short distance to the ground. He could tell her heart had stopped and in a panic he was about to turn and call for Sakura before he felt it start up again by itself.

"Don't worry about her heart Kakashi-sensei; it's normal for it to do that. Can you tell me anything about her condition?"

Kakashi hadn't removed his hands from her and he used the opportunity now to see what feedback his chakra would get if he released it at low levels into her system. "It feels what I must imagine to be normal for her. Is this what it feels like for you to scan someone with your chakra Sakura? It feels…"

"Amazing and like a privilege?"

"The sharingan gives you the ability to see things that no other bloodline can, but to see it and feel it puts this on a completely different level."

Sakura took the opportunity to approach the woman again and place her hands on her to assess her condition further now that it was safe to touch her. "I've always been a bit jealous of the sharingan. Of what it allowed you and Sasuke to see…and do, but being a medic-nin helped a lot with that." She smiled at him gently as she felt for damage in Ananya's body, "I'm glad…it's worked…"

"And what would have happened if I had gotten it wrong?" Kakashi knew what would have happened, but he still wanted to hear Sakura say it.

"If you had gotten it wrong…it probably would have set off a chain reaction within her and the energy levels may have incinerated her on a cellular level. But you already guessed that sensei…there doesn't seem to be any damage…not new at least," Sakura commented grimly, "but it's strange because it's completely different to chakra…like the molecules in her cells are energised or in an excited state and they're constantly releasing energy. So it's not quite a separate system, but her own cells are generating …They're vibrating at a higher frequency than I ever thought…I'm surprised you were able to match it so easily. I'm still not sure about what brought it on though…"

"I'm glad you were able to find a worthy teacher that was able to find your strengths and kindle a passion in you Sakura." Kakashi said as he commented as he helped Sakura to place Ananya into a more comfortable position.

"You're awfully chatty right now sensei…I wonder if her energy interfered with you somehow. Come a bit closer sensei."

He complied but didn't respond as he felt her chakra enter his system. "Interesting. Some of your cells have actually absorbed her energy and are exhibiting similar behaviour to some of hers. I think it wears off though.

Well, for a long time I felt useless compared to Naruto and Sasuke because you treated me like I couldn't become a kunoichi and the boys were the only capable ones. To be honest, I probably still resent that you never tried with me, and feel like maybe you should have recognised that you weren't the right teacher for me…but nobody's perfect and I didn't really give you much cause for hope. But you taught us one thing which we'll never forget – teamwork. That and the fact that I know you'll always try your hardest to make sure everyone is safe is the reason why I trust you to have my back and know that you always will."

"You sure it hasn't affected anything other than a few cells?" Kakashi asked Sakura wryly as she smiled at him lopsidedly in reply.


End file.
